English News
FanGirls English Excursion
The day started with the Year 10 cohort gathering at the Melbourne Arts Centre courtyard. The teachers let us explore the city and take photos about our given prompts to assist with our class assignments. After about an hour we were led into the theatre and were directed to the seats waiting patiently and eagerly until the lights were dimmed and the fog emerged, marking the start of a thrilling experience that would remain in our memories. The play itself was a memorable and powerful yet lucid experience that immersed us into the world of the theatre thus exploring the various aspects of adolescence and both teenage and parental love.
The eccentricity and quirkiness of this musical performance brought life into the story of the play, which elevated our understanding of the key themes manifested within the play. As the play concluded, we were dismissed while fangirling over the scenes and sharing a few laughs over the comedic elements.
Thank you to all the teachers for organising and giving us the opportunity to enjoy a masterful performance that appealed to the youth. We look forward to us receiving similar opportunities in the future.
Thumith Jayasekara & Hadar Flenner
Year 10
Fangirl Reviews
With bright, colourful costumes and music, and a wonderfully hilarious story, Fangirls is one of the few pieces of musical theatre that can entertain, whilst also carry such an important message to society through humour. Though the entire style of Fangirls is hilariously exaggerated and bright, it is hard for the audience to miss the truth about the importance of believing in what you love, and respecting others regardless of what they are enthusiastic about, or their gender; whether it’s about a football match or a boy band, we all deserve to feel like we belong. Complete with beautiful vocals from Karis Oka as Enda, and AYDAN as Harry, elaborate light sequences, catchy music, and a hysterical script, Fangirls is entertainment made for everybody!
Dinali Tirikawala
Year 10
Fangirls: a word that incites varying meanings from different people. For the ones that haven’t experienced what it’s like to be one, these people are nothing more than a bunch of hormonal teens obsessing over cheap-shot fakes. To others however, it describes either a past ‘phase’ they went through, something they haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing or a way to cope with life’s struggles. For a musical to be able to portray this from the point of view of both fangirls and non-fangirls is amazing.
Although concerning how on-point the musical is, it’s a great way for people to come to the realisation that fangirls aren’t just people who obsess over lip-syncing robots, they’re people who seek comfort for their own pain through lyrics written by their idols. In saying that, this musical also allows fangirls to reflect upon their previous actions and, hopefully, come to an understanding that even though their idols may mean a lot to them, that doesn’t mean their idol thinks of them in that way or will ever feel that way towards them. Hence the feelings experienced towards one’s idols shouldn’t come in between your relationships, whether it be that with your mother or friends, because they’re the people who really know and understand you.
So overall, I can 100% say that watching this musical was a wonderful experience, I was able to learn a lot while watching it and honestly can’t wait to see another musical like this one.
Chanumi Dassanayaka
Year 10
Persuasion Fangirls Review: This extravagant, sassy play ‘Fangirls’ takes us on a journey of Edna, a brazen scholarship girl who fantasises about winning the heart of a pop star Harry. The play epitomises all aspects of high school life, from gossip amongst girls to romantic fantasies with celebrities. Although exaggerated, Yve Blake accurately depicts the underlying message of the play: there are certain status quos and social norms with genders. ‘Fangirling’ over celebrities is accepted as a feminine act whereas we saw in the play that a male (Salty) also shared the same passion for Harry as Edna and her friends. We should work towards acceptance and show less stigma towards those with interests outside of what is seen as acceptable for their gender.
Adrian Hoac
Year 10
‘Fan Girls’, a musical by Yve Blake explores society’s views on teenage girl stan culture. The musical tackles underlying female stereotypes such as the importance of girls maintaining a high social status and being physically attractive, elucidating that “like sticks and stones”, words do hurt. Despite the play referencing underlying issues, it never takes itself too seriously, prioritising the audience’s enjoyment with numerous jokes and comical innuendos. The colourful flashy lighting, joyous and uplifting music and use of various props and costumes, blend the overarching pop themes with th aesthetic of a sterotypoical teenage girls bedroom. Inspiring, relevant and engaging, ‘Fan girls’ delivers an insight onto the plethora of sociocultural issues facing you today.
Sudam Abeywickrama
Year 10